Jordan-Finnegan, Ryder

Dr. Ryder Jordan-Finnegan is an independent scholar and also a writing workshop teacher. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, where she taught composition and literature for six years.

2006 0-7734-5753-4This study examines two primary plays: After the Fall by Arthur Miller and The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, using a Jungian Analytical Psychological approach. By focusing on certain components of Jung’s theories of individuation, the development of personality, and the power of evil, the study provides evidence that the two main characters, Quentin and Hamlet, respectively, come to a place of moral differentiation.

This book emphasizes the components of the human condition and provides examples from the dramatic works of Shakespeare and Miller as evidence of the possibilities available to humanity. Significantly, the use of Jung’s ideas on individuation with Miller’s plays bring to the world of literary scholarship a contribution of understanding the work that Miller was doing and how vitally important his plays are to humanity as a touchstone of human development. The analytical bridge created between Jung and Shakespeare represents a clear statement of the importance of original and pioneering scholarship between two writers who seemingly have no reason to be connected.

This study will appeal to scholars in Renaissance and modern literary studies, as well as those interested in psychology and religion. The work provides a look into realms of literature, psychology, philosophy, and religion, which not only points to the theoretical analysis provided in scholarship but also to the more serious and eternal questions concerning evil and personality.